Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Urgent Statement August 9, 2017

[STATEMENT]

Tensions are higher than ever on the Korean peninsula, and now the US is threatening “fire and fury” on North Korea. This is the moment when the call should be for talks and a de-escalation of tension – but Trump may push us towards World War III instead. The Trump administration’s threats of military attack have provoked North Korea to respond with its own plans for retaliation. And if provoked enough, North Korea has expressed its intentions to launch a missile strike on US bases in Guam. Therefore, Trump’s threats of pre-emptive strike on North Korea heighten war danger in the Asia Pacific region and the world.

Nodutdol for Korean Community Development calls on the US government to start talks immediately, without preconditions, and for both the US and North Korea to stand down.

Koreans are only too familiar with devastating war. The Korean War – which never ended since there is still no peace treaty, left 4 million dead in 1953. If fighting were to break out again, it would be nuclear, and not only would thousands die on the peninsula, but most of Asia would probably be devastated as well. And should a retaliatory missile hit the US – the thought is too terrible to imagine, and so the road to war has to be averted.

It’s clear that current US policy – of sanctioning and threatening North Korea, and demanding denuclearization before talks, is not working. The time to talk is now, Tillerson needs to go to Pyongyang, and the US should do everything it can to stop a potential tragedy.